Though the winners in some national and local political races remain unknown at this point, we can tell you for sure what Chronicle readers think about local restaurants. The votes in our annual Restaurant Poll have been tabulated, and the sea change suggested by the results of the past two years definitely continues. For the third year in a row, Uchi reigns supreme. The trendy Austin hot spot with a national reputation garners the most votes in the same categories as last year – Best Restaurant, Sushi, Japanese, and Best Chef – shares the title for Best Decor with Fonda San Miguel, and scores runner-up and honorable mention slots in several other categories.

There's another shake-up in the leaderboard this year, with Cibo, Wink, Lamberts, and Fino all cracking the Top 10 for the first time. In addition, Fino and Wink are first-time winners for Best Appetizers and Most Romantic, respectively. (Though Cibo came in at No. 2 overall and posted strong showings for Best Italian and Best Chef, it seems those votes somehow didn't translate into dollars. Chef Will Packwood closed the Congress Avenue Italian restaurant at the end of April, making this the third time in 10 years Packwood's singular and uncompromising culinary vision has failed to find broad enough customer support among Austin diners to stay in business.)

Newcomer Imperia is all over the poll, winning Best New Restaurant, Best Service/Waitstaff, Best Other Asian, and showing strong in many other races. Though the upstart Sazón didn't win in any one category, it too evidenced plenty of across-the-board voter support, while one of last year's most popular contenders, Coco's Cafe, is completely missing in action this year. This year's Phoenix Award would have to go to Mother's Cafe & Garden. They literally rose from the ashes of Place We Wish Were Still Open last year to win Best Vegetarian and Best Veggie Dish, plus several honorable mentions in 2008. There are upsets in Best Desserts, where Tèo wrested the top spot from longtime winner Chez Zee; in Best Bread, where the in-store bakery at Whole Foods Market beat out all the local bakeries for the first time; and in Best Coffee, where homegrown Austin Java finally knocked off megachain Starbucks. We are gratified to see the diversity of responses in this year's three new poll categories – Best Street Food (Hey Cupcake!), Best Local Chocolate (Miles of Chocolate), and Best Mixologist (Fino's Bill Norris) – and congratulate those winners, along with all the others.

Once the readers had spoken and Special Issues Editor Kate X Messer and her crack team of tabulators (Angela Armstrong, Meghan Ruth Speakerman, and Richard Whittaker) had compiled the results, it was time for our Food staff to weigh in. Contributing Food writers MM Pack, Claudia Alarcón, Kate Thornberry, Mick Vann, and Wes Marshall joined me in sharing our personal culinary highlights from the past year in the Critics Picks. Between the two lists, we're convinced you've got another year's worth of great dining suggestions to enjoy. Now take some of the government stimulus package money left over after you buy a tank of gas, and go spend it in an Austin restaurant! – Virginia B. Wood